In the short video below (1:28), I’m basically panning around the area of the judges table and including some of the competitors. The huge crowds you see in the background are coming from the Annual Sea Witch Festival – a parade of sillyness that is somehow related to Halloween. 🙂

The Delaware State Chicken Wing Championship 2013

There were 17 different restaurants and hot sauce makers competing for best wings in the Delaware State Chicken Wing Championship. Each competed in up to 3 categories, although most bowed out of the final Best Presentation entry.

Marilyn and I sat among 12 other judges at a long table, that was smack dab in the middle of a main pedestrian path from the Avenue (Rehoboth Beach’s main drag) to the Boardwalk. To say it was crowded and hectic is an understatement.

photo: Melissa Pritt

The fourteen judges were given a verbal presentation from the entrant, wings were passed out, and our judging and scoring began. We awarded up to 30 points total for each entry. Based on the timing of submissions and number of contestants, we did not have a lot of time between each entry. Scribbling notes, tasting, and keeping up with the fast pace of the wings that were coming at us, we did the best we could to keep up.

It was frenetic fun, and the immense variety of wings we got to sample was amazing. Some of our favorites, off the top of my head, were, loaded potato skin wings, jalapeño popper stuffed wings, black cherry soda wings, parmesan crusted garlic wings and Mayan Chocolate wings. I’m so sorry I don’t have pictures of those incredible concoctions! (When your hands are covered in sauces and spices, and you’re writing notes, it’s hard to get pictures).

Here is our host and MC, Chip Hearn of Peppers.com, laying out the ground rules (there were no rules) and introducing the judges (3:45). Filmed from my vantage point about midway of the judges table, that is Marilyn directly in front of me, to my right was Steve Chambers, and to my left was Eric Grant.
The bloggers were assembled at one end, the radio media at the other, and in between were various other wing aficionados.

Next up, a short video of Johnny McLaughlin of HeartbreakingDawns.com explaining his “deconstructed wings” for the Best Presentation category. Those cubes used to be wings!

Here are the Winners in each category

Huge thanks to Georgia Leonhart, publicist, for filling in the blanks of all the winners here. Thank you Georgia!

Competition will be fierce for the title of Delaware State Chicken Wing Champion. The competition gets underway Saturday October 26, 2013 with over 25 contestants competing in 3 categories – Best Wings, Most Unusual Wings, and Best Wings Presentation.

Wing entries from past competition

The Delaware State Chicken Wing Championship

The chicken wing cook-off for State Champion will take place smack in the middle of the insanity and costumed silliness that is the 24th Annual Sea Witch Festival (a family oriented, slightly organized parade of costumes, floats and other Halloween shenanigans). That “Wing it at Sea Witch” slogan is a great, unintended tie-in to the Delaware State Chicken Wing Championship competition, is it not? Thank you Sea Witch um… witches!

The Sea Witch parade – shenanigans I say!

Wing sauce makers and local chefs (see below) will gather in front of The Ice Cream Store at 6 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware to impress a roster of judges that include local media personalities from radio, print, TV and internet, as well as local politicians.

Judging for the Delaware State Wing Championships will begin promptly at 1:00 pm. Judges will be national and local food writers as well as TV, radio and newspaper personalities.

The competition will be composed of three separate challenges. The winner of each challenge will be declared a Delaware State Champion and the overall winner will be crowned as THE overall Delaware State Champion.

As each dish is handed in, all competitors will be required to turn in an 8½ by 11 inch paper, listing the name of every entry and its ingredients, so that the media can fully report on the fantastic tastes. Each challenger will also be asked to explain their entry in detail to the judges.

Scoring will be on a thirty point system (where half points may also be used). A maximum of ten points for taste – a maximum of ten points for WOW factor – and a maximum of ten points for whatever the judge thinks points should be given (after all, there are no rules)!

All entries may be displayed on whatever plates, dishes, bowls or other contrivances you wish to use. Please include a small sign with the name of your wings with the entry. Please pay attention, because you, yourself, need to retrieve whatever you use. You must turn in a minimum of 25 “portions” for each event. Any items that the judges don’t consume will be eaten (quickly) by the crowd! The more portions that you enter, the better chance you have of a judge loving their second taste. If you wish to include sauces, dips, rubs, garnishes or any flair with the dish, please do so.

Because there will be so many entries, we would suggest that you attempt to be one of the first to turn in. Think of heat retention as well as the judges’ taste buds!

At 1:00 pm SHARP all contestants will turn in their concept ofTHE BEST WINGS
Rules: there are none – the judges will have to answer the question, what, exactly, does the best wing taste like, look like, feel like and ?. We are looking for chef inspired wings that could grace the table of any restaurant!

At 1:45 pm SHARP all contestants will turn in their perception ofTHE MOST UNUSUAL WINGS
Rules: there are basically none. The Most Unusual entry can be based on taste, sauce, rub, cooking method or looks. It can be very visual and may be shown to the judges in any way. It can be anything that the chef things of!

At 2:30 pm SHARP all contestants will turn in their notion ofTHE BEST WINGS PRESENTATION
Rules: there are none – the judges must simply be amazed! Presentation ultimately means something visual or an impression that makes a judge want to reach out and eat the first wing. Any chef might want to re-enter a recipe from a previous category and to “jazz it up” somehow!

All of the winners will be announced at the conclusion of the judging of all three categories. Announcements will be made at the Bandstand at the end of Rehoboth Avenue and the Boardwalk.

Do you plan to attend the Delaware State Chicken Wing Championship next Saturday? If so, leave a Comment below, and stop and say “hi” at the judges table!